skyflower_bloom

But... but... I am 100% pro-choice, and a peace-loving vegan (though, I do own a handgun...) What does that make me? Identity crisis in the making here... ------------ "As am I, in my own life, but like I said above, I'm not going to force someone else into making the same decision I would." (Nightingale) +1 Sums it up more concisely that I could

perhaps i misunderstand, but to me in inverse situation would be pro-choice, but doesn't abort? Ummm pro-choice generally means that one believes under the LAW, abortion should be legal. one may oppose abortion but be considered "pro-choice" in support of legal and safe abortions over the back-alley coat-hanger days, or they could feel strongly, as implied by CHOICE, that a woman should have that CHOICE based on the circumstances and not have it made for her. i personally don't think the law has any role in abortion access. i have held several friends' hands as they went through the decision making process and went to get an abortion itself. But for me when i got pregnant at 21 by a man whose family i had known for 8-9 years at the time, i knew almost instantly that I personally could never "choose" the "abortion option" if myself and the baby and pregnancy were healthy. it didn't feel right FOR ME- but i would defend any woman's right to make her own choices not restricted by legal access to safe medical care. that said, FOR ME, i could not live with knowing that baby could have a great life either through adoption or parenting, and that i could have a perfectly healthy pregnancy and birth. after careful consideration i CHOSE against abortion (and later in the pregnancy, CHOSE for certain to parent my child). yes i strongly believe abortion is a last option, and the ideal is adoption if one cannot be the best parent they can be or meet a child's needs.. that we need to step up resources for adoption and parenting (and related issues that could make a pregnancy unsafe- obesity, diabetes, things like AODA where fetal alcohol syndrome is a concern if not aborted, etc.) but i think it should be safe and legal and again, have helped friends for whom that was their best choice. again-- perhaps not what you meant, but just because a pregnancy is not meticulously planned, doesn't mean that one cannot make a rational and planned out *choice* to become a parent at that time. being "pro-choice" does not in any way preclude you from CHOOSING to become a parent, even if not planned to the date, or unmarried, or any of that old-fashioned stereotype. that is laughable. (btw-- sorry if repeats, didn't read all 5 pages yet!) "You must be the change you wish to see in the world." Gandhi

Usually between age 2 and 3 years, the developmental differences stop being so significant as to require month differentiation- by 3 1/2 --> 4 years; then it goes by years not months or weeks. At least until 2+ it goes by mos though (HUGE difference between a just-turned-2 year 24-month-old, and an almost three year- 34 month old)! But, 'partying' was indeed involved in my past (casual dating, and alcohol etc., though I have known my son's bio father and his family for 10+ years now). I have been a naughty girl in my past, lol, but being a mother it has calmed me down a lot. I have certainly toned it down a bit since becoming a mama, for the babe's sake, that's for sure- kiddo comes first, no matter what. But-- I still like to have fun, as long as kiddo's well being is not compromised by that, it's all good! As for the OP, if she is not a parent, she is most certainly asking you to get wasted and have some fun in the sack! "You must be the change you wish to see in the world." Gandhi

+1 "You must be the change you wish to see in the world." Gandhi

Haha, with a 23 month old, it'd be kinda hard... our bed time is around 8 pm. But, I DID wind up with a child somehow... "You must be the change you wish to see in the world." Gandhi

I'm guessing it's a reference to the general practice of engaging in getting wasted on any of various drugs (booze and pot most likely, though could go beyond that) and have a good ole male-female time.. so yeah- drugs and sex both

Yay!! Congrats and have fun!

That is the worst feeling, lol. Then I try to eat it anyways cause I really wanted a freaking avocado, and don't wanna waste it, and wind up spitting it out and chucking it anyhow You think I would learn lol... but if you buy 'em ripe, half the time they are brown and nasty when you cut them open. It's really a conundrum (well not really in the bigger scheme of things, but ya know). I have heard the brown paper bag and that's what I do now, but I have no idea how or if it works (it seems to, but could be "placebo effect" or something lol) Now I'm curious too.. "You must be the change you wish to see in the world." Gandhi

Fair enough I suppose.. the poll just doesn't seem to acknowledge that at all, because with a set dollar amount as the factor, no other factors are taken into play and there can be considerable variation (if it is a first tandem- i.e. whuffo taking a girl, not a TI/TM doing it himself, you'd get one date already over the 200 limit- say 200 bucks for her tandem, plus the gas to drive there and maybe a meal, your own tandem if you do one, maybe video, etc. and you are already over that but haven't really even spent significant time getting to be together and talk privately. Whereas, if you have ten "hang out at your house and talk about everything for hours" dates and a few coffee dates, you could only spend 20 bucks, or each pay your own until you get to know where things are headed, but at that point, a few dollars in, be close enough that it's time to discuss where things are going and be really intimate on many levels. And like I said, even if the number is a factor (dollar amount) it doesn't change the fact that all women have different perceptions and motives and the only way to decide what to do is talk about it. The question posed implies that there was no "talking" involved, or that if that discussion happened, it would on some level be an ultimatum (put out or get out) rather than a genuine attempt to mutually figure out where things were at. And, I know that to communicate and discuss things in any meaningful way online and in person, we have to assign oversimplified measurements and communicate in terms we all share. And of course, money and sex are surely part of the picture, even a big part of it- perhaps it's just that the poll/original post came off presenting them as the FOUNDATION- which as davjohns said, and i concurred, seems no different than shopping around for a friend with benefits casual dating arrangement or yes, an escort. Point taken though.. "You must be the change you wish to see in the world." Gandhi

You read the whole post? Not necessarily- though he can speak for himself if he likes haha-- he probably just glanced at the screen, and made a logical inference from the body of text that appeared in front of his eyes But yeah, I s'pose I got a lot to say about how someone can think in those terms- it's an individual and unique relationship between PEOPLE, and guess what- you can open your mouths and you can even TALK if you ask her to, if there is a potential issue! Lol. What a concept... "You must be the change you wish to see in the world." Gandhi

Haha yes actually! I get really pissed off at the majority of people who don't seem to get that COMMUNICATING is the rational and logical way to attempt to live in harmony with or at least tolerate those in our vicinity... (no I am not having sex-communication issues, at the moment, lol- but it is the same root issue when you go and make decisions arbitrarily without even considering talking about the whys and hows with the people affected) Bah humanity is just rather pissing me off at the moment, sorry. Lol. (No not just men, not a gender thing either, just one random outlet for my general GRRRR. I swear my toddler sometimes makes more rational decisions than some people I know, and that scares me a wee bit! I'll survive. Continue on with your regularly scheduled programming folks.. "You must be the change you wish to see in the world." Gandhi

Oh, one more thing-- If you DO decide to take my "communicate" advice, note that I am not advising you say "Look, I just calculated our running total, and if we order dessert, you will be at $204.11. I hate to have to bring this up now, but do you think you could tell me whether we're going to having sex tonight, so that we can decide whether to proceed with the rest of our meal?" (It sounds silly but really, you are doing yourself a disservice by not looking at the stages of dating and sex as mutual decisions to be discussed together.) "You must be the change you wish to see in the world." Gandhi

No it's not just you- it's a valid point. I don't necessarily find prostitution immoral if it's consenting adults, but from a larger perspective, I find it pretty darn distasteful that relationships, marriage, families, and meaningful personal interactions can become so distorted in our society- anything from paying to feel affection, or paying for sex, to the use of advertising techniques that make people buy shit they don't need because the company "cares about them..." Again bigger picture it's messed up, as a whole-- but acknowledging that I don't think there is anything wrong with it. That said, I would be pissed if a guy was tallying how much he was spending and correlating that to when in our relationship we chose to get intimate... if you are going to play the money--> sex game, acknowledge it! I do totally see the point that chemistry and sexual compatibility are part of determining long term relationship, but the way you put it OP is rather crude, if that is actually the terms in which you think and respond.. I mean are there not other variables that could come into play? Because yeah, if it is just money and sex without other contingencies or considerations... idk. It totally depends on what you want out of dating I guess- casual dating etc. if one of the goals is to have a sex partner then ok it may make more sense, but I still dislike the dollar amount conceptualization unless it is pretty clear that it is a friends with benefits thing, or some kind of "arrangement." And yes, we women know pretty early most of the time when we will want to sleep with someone and/or when we see them as relationship material-- but there are benefits to waiting to throw in the physical dimension imo especially if the long term is a consideration and if you are taking things at their natural pace. It's not so much even the correlation between a set amount of time and interaction and when you feel that the sexual chemistry should be established, it's that you are putting a dollar amount on it-- and also, it's not individualized. We women are people too you know. If you feel that you are not compatible, move on-- if you feel you are but are not yet sleeping together and you want to be-- TALK ABOUT IT! It's called communication Discuss where things are going, what you feel, etc. Maybe her equivalent "rule" is no sex till he spends at least $1000... More likely, maybe she likes you too but doesn't want to be seen as "easy" or in it only for casual purposes due to those views and stereotypes/double standards. Maybe she's (good luck with this one!) waiting for marriage Maybe she somehow thought YOU were not interested because you feared being too aggressive and she is used to having the man more as the aggressor. Maybe she feels that something really awesome is developing and knows that sexuality can cloud judgment and confuse things, and is intentionally wanting to wait to add that into the equation so as to focus first on developing communication, comfort, compatibility in other ways, etc. Maybe she has been sexually abused or assaulted and has trust issues, and may wait longer than a woman who has not. Maybe she has self esteem issues or a medical condition. Maybe she just has a different point where it feels right than you, and it has nothing to do with you spending money on dating her! The point being, if there's ongoing dating, and sex is assumed to be, at some given point, obviously varying, a part of dating/relationships, the topic is not out of bounds after awhile; you should be able to talk about it. I just don't see how you can oversimplify *dating* relationships (where presumed affection and/or ongoing mutual investment in one another's lives is presumed) to boil them down to *that* extent. It is somewhat beyond me, again *if* you are implying there is intent beyond spending money and getting laid, which it seems you are? And this is totally not an attack, and I'm not really offended per se, I just think there are other ways of looking at it. Obviously, OP, you have very different life experience and perspective than me, so do what works. And, most men probably agree with you and have a "point" at which they decide they have invested enough in something that is not going to move forward and thus move on-- women too, though possibly factored differently-- it's just that I would hope/think that many factors and open discussion would play a role, and the decision would be mutual, and not just whether or not actual intercourse has happened at x point in time. "You must be the change you wish to see in the world." Gandhi

awww man VB, i'm kinda disappointed.. until this thread, I always thought your Fashion-Aware Gravitist organization was some sort of reference to wearing super awesome rainbow stripes and hot pink while hurtling yourself out of planes.. it was a pretty awesome mental picture.. my hopes and dreams have been dashed. fashion aware, hmmph. (perhaps i subconsciously knew it couldn't be true, so i've never clickied... ) "You must be the change you wish to see in the world." Gandhi

haha, nope! it's fairly subtle blue and black bev RW suit... i was informed i would be shot on the spot if i ordered my rig and jumpsuit in matching purple naw, i just like to wear the sexy lacy pink 'n purple lingerie *underneath* --put on my nice functional and drab jumpsuit over my sexies and act all innocent ya can't tell me you don't dig the purple though... "You must be the change you wish to see in the world." Gandhi

Wait, back on up a sec (no pun intended..) ---a PINCH!? I can't see doing that.. I'd smack in a flirty way before I'd pinch! That seems weird to me.. maybe it's just me though.. I have a lot to learn "You must be the change you wish to see in the world." Gandhi

+1 That is too funny- me too. Only at the dz. It's affectionate. Either friendly-"hi" affectionate, or flirty-"hey there" affectionate, or "i'm just messing with you cause I'm bored and hyper" kind of affectionate

LOL. I just got a used main-- full-on rainbow, even in the proper order throughout the 7 cells, only with a hot pink color instead of red- woohoo! But wait-- Is it just a guy thing? Can I get away with it as a chick? Lol. OP-- My suggestion, personally, would be to get one panel in every single color available V-B, however, would appear to disagree with my suggestion "You must be the change you wish to see in the world." Gandhi

Well hmm... I did post this in bonfire... have it your way :) Since I like purple so much, here's more purple to enjoy... Not saying if they're mine or not... What's kinda sad is I am having trouble deciding if the first set of pics or the second one are sexier... I am pretty enamored with my rigs (and yeah I am a chick but I can appreciate boobies too. so there.) "You must be the change you wish to see in the world." Gandhi

Thanks John, Nataly, DSE, and all!

why does it need to go to germany? ssk was supposed to do that stuff i talked to ssk. because it had NEVER been services or seen since manufacture for either 4 or 8 years, apparently they had to send it to airtec directly as well as do their thing. so it would cost the 200 i spent on the AAD (with about 15 mos at the time of purchase left), 80 batteries (not changed since 02 according to sticker), 160 servicing, and the shipping to ssk and to airtec/germany. with those costs we figured i'd be better off getting a cypres 2 new, since it would wind up being half the cost of a new cypres total for getting this one legal for jumping, and a long wait time.. my cypres 2 is already in and installed. but yeah re: your question i am unsure about the germany thing other than, that is what they told me had to happen in this case if i wanted to get it back up to standards. if i do not get a satisfactory reply or refund from seller i will share the info as a scam, i did purchase this aad on dz classifieds and feel it was misrepresented as stated, but i don't know and don't want to speculate, since it was canada and not US and i know things work a bit different- but it's hard to imagine the seller did not know that it was not legal for use here or serviced safely.. but i too was dumb, and waited to check, didn't think to call ssk and double check the serial number etc. until recently due to the wait time on my rig anyways Thanks again guys... pics attached!!

I'd rather assemble, inspect and pack it anyways... cypres or not. Well, not really... hopefully your rigger is good at the bulk distribution on the V3-348... took me a couple tries to get it to fit right did you get it figured out right now? bah.. maybe i should have had you pack it for me like ya offered before, lol. my rigger pretty much yelled at me and told me to go away "people are trying to watch the football game and study up here, you are distracting them..." wait whaa? i thought we were packing a rig, is that not the priority? who is distracting who from what again? (in her defense, i can be rather distracting, it's no lie... hehe. i just wanna know how my darn rig works, it's a 5 grand piece of equipment whose job is to keep me from dying, knowledge is power and all that, no?) i asked if she would talk me through it and she's like, uh no, not if you want it done right... so we got sent to the bar down the road to avoid any pissing matches. i can't say i minded too much but i kinda wanted to see it or at least have some explanation of my gear.. i think maybe i will have her or another rigger at my dz walk me through it another day; i mean, it's winter in WI, there's always time to kill on the dz.. but ya she threatened to double the price of my canopy stabilizer patching job if i hung around... so off i went... lol. oh and turns out it is a v3-350 though, not the 348, i wasn't sure what we ended up going with.. it doesn't seem entirely symmetrical but i am feeling that has some relation to my own packing of the main teehee.. it's an evil evil thing to try to close though, spent 2.5 hours start to finish packing it, from a daisy-chained main and already packed/installed AAD/reserve. i actually managed to bag it pretty comfortably on my 2nd go round but i am fairly sure that closing the stupid container was the most tedious thing i have done in the sport this entire season. please tell me it gets easier, and it's just because it is new? i have never had trouble closing a container on student or rental gear, just gotta break it in maybe, or loosen the closing loop a wee bit? meh. still

Hey Bolas....... /stalking "You must be the change you wish to see in the world." Gandhi

those who criticize our generation forget who raised it. heehee... though it's true.. my generation has no idea how to communicate as normal mature adults.. drives me bonkers.. "You must be the change you wish to see in the world." Gandhi

Haha well pops, it appears I did do just that... apparently four months ago, the dealer I ordered through was thinking ahead, even if I was not... and ordered my stuff to come unassembled! So, it all worked out. But this discussion has been helpful as I thought it would come with the reserve packed and was not certain what was proper to do. I did not know you could request otherwise, but with a CYPRES needing to be installed by my rigger anyways, that is why he knew to order it that way. Thanks for all the good feedback :) "You must be the change you wish to see in the world." Gandhi